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Palaeoryctidae Temporal range: 70.0–42.0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Late Cretaceous - Middle Eocene
Palaeoryctes jepseni lower jaw fragment
Aceroryctes dulcis lower jaw fragment
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Clade:	Eutheria
Infraclass:	Placentalia (?)
Order:	†Palaeoryctida Averianov, 2003
Family:	†Palaeoryctidae Winge, 1917
Type genus
†Palaeoryctes Matthew, 1913
Genera
Synonyms
synonyms of family: Palaeoryctae (Winge, 1917) Palaeoryctinae (Van Valen, 1966) Palaeoryctoidea (Van Valen, 1966)

Palaeoryctidae ("ancient diggers") is an extinct family of non-specialized eutherian mammals from extinct order Palaeoryctida, that lived in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa from the late Cretaceous to the middle Eocene.

Description

From a near-complete skull of the genus Palaeoryctes found in New Mexico, it is known that palaeoryctids were small, shrew-like insectivores with an elongated snout similar to that of the leptictids. However, in contrast to the latter, little is known about palaeoryctids' postcranial anatomy (the skeleton without the skull). A 2024 study found shared cranial details between palaeoryctids and leptictids, suggesting a possible close relationship, plesiomorphic retentions, or convergent acquisitions. Where the leptictids were short-lived, the palaeoryctids seem to have been ancestors of Eocene species. While their dental morphology still indicate a mostly insectivorous diet, it, to some extent, also relate to Eocene carnivores such as creodonts.

Taxonomy and phylogeny

History of phylogeny

The relationship between this archaic group and other insectivorous mammals is uncertain. Palaeoryctidae was originally assigned to the now-abandoned grouping Insectivora by Sloan and Van Valen (1965), then to clade Proteutheria, and more recently to Eutheria by Scott et al. (2002).

Generally speaking Palaeoryctidae has been used as a wastebasket taxon for many archaic insectivorous mammals.

According to a 2022 study by Bertrand et al., palaeoryctids are identified to be a basal group of placental mammals.

Taxonomy

• Order: †Palaeoryctida (Averianov, 2003)
  • Family: †Palaeoryctidae (Winge, 1917)
    • Genus: †Aceroryctes (Rankin & Holroyd, 2014)
      • †Aceroryctes dulcis (Rankin & Holroyd, 2014)
    • Genus: †Lainoryctes (Fox, 2004)
      • †Lainoryctes youzwyshyni (Fox, 2004)
    • Genus: †Nuryctes (Tong, 2003)
      • †Nuryctes alayensis (Lopatin & Averianov, 2004)
      • †Nuryctes gobiensis (Lopatin & Averianov, 2004)
      • †Nuryctes qinlingensis (Tong, 1997)
    • Genus: †Pinoryctes (Lopatin, 2006)
      • †Pinoryctes collector (Lopatin, 2006)
    • Subfamily: †Palaeoryctinae (Winge, 1917)
      • Genus: †Aaptoryctes (Gingerich, 1982)
        • †Aaptoryctes ivyi (Gingerich, 1982)
      • Genus: †Eoryctes (Thewissen & Gingerich, 1989)
        • †Eoryctes melanus (Thewissen & Gingerich, 1989)
      • Genus: †Ottoryctes (Bloch, 2004)
        • †Ottoryctes winkleri (Bloch, 2004)
      • Genus: †Palaeoryctes (Matthew, 1913)
        • †Palaeoryctes cruoris (Gunnell, 1994)
        • †Palaeoryctes jepseni (Bloch, 2004)
        • †Palaeoryctes minimus (Gheerbrant, 1992)
        • †Palaeoryctes puercensis (Matthew, 1913)
        • †Palaeoryctes punctatus (Van Valen, 1966)
    • Incertae sedis:
      • †Palaeoryctidae sp. (Godinot, 1981)
      • †Palaeoryctidae sp. (Lopatin, 2006)
      • †Palaeoryctidae sp. indet. 1 (Pol, 1992)
      • †Palaeoryctidae sp. indet. 2 (Pol, 1992)

Phylogeny

References

1. Winge H. (1917.) "Udsigt over Insektaedernes indbyrdes Slaeggtskab." Videnskabelige meddelelser fra Dansk Naturhistorisk Forening i København, vol. 68, p. 82–203.
2. A. O. Averianov (2003.) "Present-Day Concepts of the System of Placental Mammals." in: "Systematics, Phylogeny and Paleontology of Small Mammals", Ed. by A. O. Averianov and N. I. Abramson (Zool. Inst. Ross. Akad Nauk, St. Petersburg), pp. 15–20 .
3. L. Van Valen (1966.) "Deltatheridia, a new order of Mammals." Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 132(1):1-126
4. Mammals: An Outline of Theriology. 1976.
5. C., McKenna, Malcolm; Xiangxu., Xue; Mingzhen., Zhou (1984). "Prosarcodon lonanensis, a new Paleocene micropternodontid palaeoryctoid insectivore from Asia". American Museum Novitates (2780). hdl:2246/5265.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
6. McKenna, Malcolm C.; Bell, Susan K. (1997). Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-11012-9. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
7. ^ Gregg F. Gunnell, Thomas Bown, Jonathan Ivan Bloch, Doug M. Boyer (2008.) "Proteutheria"; pp. 63–81 in C. M. Janis, G. F. Gunnell, and M. Uhen (eds.), "Evolution of Tertiary Mammals of North America. Volume 2: Small Mammals, Xenarthrans, and Marine Mammals." Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, U.K.
8. Rankin, Brian D.; Holroyd, Patricia A. (October 2014). Sues, Hans-Dieter (ed.). "Aceroryctes dulcis, a new palaeoryctid (Mammalia, Eutheria) from the early Eocene of the Wasatch Formation of southwestern Wyoming, USA". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 51 (10): 919–926. Bibcode:2014CaJES..51..919R. doi:10.1139/cjes-2014-0101. ISSN 0008-4077.
9. ^ Agustí & Antón 2002, p. 5
10. Wible, John R.; Bertrand, Ornella C. (2024-07-08). "Basicranial Anatomy of Leptictis haydeni Leidy, 1868 (Mammalia, Eutheria, Leptictidae)". Annals of Carnegie Museum. 90 (1). doi:10.2992/007.090.0101. ISSN 0097-4463.
11. Gingerich 1982, p. 38
12. History, Carnegie Museum of Natural (1995). Bulletin of Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
13. "PBDB Taxon". paleobiodb.org. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
14. Prothero, Donald R. (2016-11-15). The Princeton Field Guide to Prehistoric Mammals. Princeton University Press. p. 104. ISBN 9781400884452.
15. Bertrand, O. C.; Shelley, S. L.; Williamson, T. E.; Wible, J. R.; Chester, S. G. B.; Flynn, J. J.; Holbrook, L. T.; Lyson, T. R.; Meng, J.; Miller, I. M.; Püschel, H. P.; Smith, T.; Spaulding, M.; Tseng, Z. J.; Brusatte, S. L. (2022). "Brawn before brains in placental mammals after the end-Cretaceous extinction". Science. 376 (6588): 80–85. Bibcode:2022Sci...376...80B. doi:10.1126/science.abl5584. hdl:20.500.11820/d7fb8c6e-886e-4c1d-9977-0cd6406fda20. PMID 35357913.

• Agustí, Jordi; Antón, Mauricio (2002). Mammoths, Sabertooths, and Hominids: 65 Million Years of Mammalian Evolution in Europe. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-11640-3.
• Gingerich, Philip D. (December 1982). "Aaptoryctes (Palaeoryctidae) and Thelysia (Palaeoryctidae?); New Insectivorous Mammals from the Late Paleocene and Early Eocene of Western North America" (PDF). Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology. 26 (3). University of Michigan: 37–47.

External links

• "Family: Palaeoryctidae: Occurrence overview". GDIF. Retrieved 17 January 2010.
• "†Palaeoryctidae". Mikko's Phylogeny Archive. Retrieved 17 January 2010.

v t e Eutheria
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Synapsida see Synapsida Cynodontia see Cynodontia Mammalia see Mammalia Eutheria see below↓ Eutheria
Eutheria †Acristatherium? †Ambolestes? †Bayshinoryctes †Bobolestes? †Cokotherium? †Durlstodon †Durlstotherium †Endotherium †Eomaia? †Hovurlestes †Hyotheridium? †Indoclemensia †Juramaia? †Microtherulum? †Montanalestes? †Murtoilestes? †Prokennalestes? †Sinodelphys? †Adapisoriculidae Adapisoriculus Afrodon Bustylus Deccanolestes? Garatherium Namibiodon Remiculus? Sahnitherium? Wyonycteris? †Asioryctitheria Asioryctes Bulaklestes Daulestes Kennalestes Sasayamamylos Uchkudukodon Ukhaatherium †Cimolestidae Aboletylestes Acmeodon Alveugena Ambilestes Avunculus Bagalestes Batodon? Betonnia Chacopterygus Cimolestes Didelphodus Gelastops Ilerdoryctes Maelestes? Naranius Paleotomus Pararyctes Procerberus Protentomodon Puercolestes Scollardius Tsaganius †Didymoconidae Archaeoryctes Ardynictis Didymoconus Hunanictis Kennatherium Zeuctherium †Horolodectidae Ferrequitherium Horolodectes †Leptictida Gypsonictopidae Gypsonictops Sikuomys Pseudorhyncocyonidae Diaphyodectes Leptictidium Phakodon Pseudorhyncocyon Leptictidae Amphigyion Blacktops Gallolestes Ictopidium Labes Lainodon Leptictis Leptonysson Megaleptictis Myrmecoboides Ongghonia Palaeictops Praolestes Prodiacodon Protictops Wania †Palaeoryctidae Aaptoryctes Aceroryctes Eoryctes Lainoryctes Nuryctes Ottoryctes Palaeoryctes Pinoryctes †Pantolesta Paroxyclaenidae Dulcidon Euhookeria Fratrodon Kiinkerishella Kopidodon Merialus Paraspaniella Paroxyclaenus Pugiodens Sororodon Spaniella Vulpavoides Pantolestidae Amaramnis Aphronorus Bessoecetor Bisonalveus Bogdia Bouffinomus Buxolestes Chadronia Coriphagus Cryptopithecus Dyspterna Galethylax Gobipithecus Kochictis Oboia Pagonomus Palaeosinopa Pantolestes Pentacodon Thelysia Todralestes †Taeniodonta Schowalteria Conoryctidae Conoryctella Conoryctes Huerfanodon Onychodectidae Onychodectes Stylinodontidae Ectoganus Psittacotherium Stylinodon Wortmania †Tillodontia Adapidium Azygonyx Basalina Benaius Chungchienia Dysnoetodon Esthonyx Franchaius Higotherium Interogale Kuanchuanius Lofochaius Megalesthonyx Meiostylodon Plesiesthonyx Plethorodon Simplodon Tillodon Trogosus Yuesthonyx †Zalambdalestidae Alymlestes Anchilestes Barunlestes Beleutinus Kulbeckia Prozalambdalestes Zalambdalestes Zhangolestes Zofialestes †Zhelestidae Alostera? Aspanlestes Avitotherium Azilestes? Borisodon Eoungulatum Eozhelestes Gallolestes Kharmerungulatum Khuduklestes? Lainodon Mistralestes? Oxlestes? Paranyctoides? Parazhelestes Sheikhdzheilia Sorlestes Valentinella? Zhalmousia Zhelestes †Pantodonta see Pantodonta Placentalia Afrotheria Boreoeutheria Xenarthra

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